Vehicular plex-path circumferential control and distribution system

ABSTRACT

The disclosure describes an electrical control system for controlling essentially every function of a vehicle. In a preferred embodiment, the invention comprises a single harness formed of an electrical signal transmission path and an electrical power transmission path connected to a source of electrical power, control means for applying coded control signals to the electrical signal transmission path, and receiving means connected to the electrical signal and power transmission paths for receiving said coded electrical signals to selectively activate electrical switching means to operate desired load devices for performing selected vehicle functions.

United States Patent Sognefest et al.

[ 1 Mar. 7, 1972 [54] VEHICULAR FLEX-PATH CIRCUMFERENTIAL CONTROL ANDDISTRIBUTION SYSTEM 3,168,722 2/1965 Sanders ..340/l72 3,525,875 8/1970Ziomek ..307/10R Primary Examiner-R. F. Staubly [72] lnventors: Peter W.Sogneiest, Glenshaw; Bay E. Ass-ism": Examiner-J. G. Smith ESWS,Murrysville, both of Attorney-Molinare, Allegretti, Newitt & Witcotf[73] Aissigneez Essex-international inc. 57] ABSTRACT [22] 1970 Thedisclosure describes an electrical control system for con- [21] Appl.No.: 64,282 trolling essentially every function of a vehicle. In apreferred embodiment, the invention comprises a single harness formed ofan electrical signal transmission path and an electrical "307/10 powertransmission path connected to a source of electrical 58 Field of Search.307/10; 315/312; 340/172, 168, f i i s ."9 sgnalswhc 340/169 electricalsignal transmiss on pat an receiving connected to the electrical signaland power transmission paths for receiving said coded electrical signalsto selectively ac- [56] defences cued tivate electrical switching meansto operate desired load UNITED STATES PATENTS devices for perfonningselected vehicle functions. 3,544,803 12/l970 Taylor ..307/l0 R 3Claims, 6 Drawing Figures ELECTRICAL H su /=4) L/NE x I H J SIGNAL LINE3 i V CLOCK L/A/E p5 Q a? a4 43 r 40 44 46 36 3a 42 f 8 /30 I34 arena mZ 0w RECEIVER E 7 R16 515cm: g if, RESET CLOCK SENDE l (ME 40 10 sE/vpmlam m LOAD (/2 V0275) mp5 DEV/CE I pfwcf f I l l W i J k l /36 I L TOR,/32 COMP TOR CONTROLLER SENSOR) Patented March 7, 1972 4 Sheets-Sheet 1IN v/m (ms BAY E. 55755 12 ATTORNEYS Patented March 7, 1972 3,648,057

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 EL EC TR/CAL SUPPLY L/ALE 32 SIGNAL L/NE cwcx L/NE L 35TYPICAL ELECTRICAL INTERFACE 4 40,40 47 83 85 RECEIVER ELECTRICAL 02 32548 o o o o T I T J T I T AMP 4/ RESET s/a/vm. I\ GENERATOR /05 INVIZN'I(IRS 124V 5 E5755 m PETER wsaam'ffsr 4) I; I I m P ATTORNEYS VEHICULARFLEX-PATH CIRCUMFERENTIAL CONTROL AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM RELATEDAPPLICATION The present invention was disclosed but not claimed in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 799,406 entitled Plex-Path CircumferentialEnergy Control and Distribution System filed Feb. 14, 1969, in the namesof the present applicants and Ralph G. Nedbal of Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania. The invention claimed herein was completed prior to theinvention claimed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 799,406, now U. S.Pat. No. 3,564,280.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The electrical wiring systems in many modernvehicles, such as automobiles, have been developed over the years in abrute force fashion wherein an increase in the number of power operateddevices used in the vehicle has been achieved primarily by the expedientof adding more wires and switches to the existing electrical harness.Manifestly, this approach, with its large number of connections and itshigh complexity, has not resulted in the most efficient and reliabletype of system.

Furthermore, such systems are difficult to diagnose when a failureoccurs. At the same time, the replacement of parts often is made moredifficult because of the great number of wires present in the system.Those skilled in the art know that a substantial percentage of theproblems arising in automobiles today are due to electrical systemfailures.

Certain highly specialized arrangements for simplifying the wiring ofvehicles, such as airplanes, have been attempted in the past. One suchsystem is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,458,759 issued July 29, 1969, inthe name of W. L. Chase. However, each of these systems has exhibitedcertain deficiencies that have limited its overall usefulness. Forexample, the Chase system employs switch control modules and lightcontrol modules that must be serially connected in a precise positionrelative to each other in order to properly operate. Moreover, thesemodules must be operated by three separate voltage levels and requirecapacitive timing elements in the remote receiving modules (i.e., thelight control modules).

These operating characteristics create a number of problems. The wiringand assembly of the system is made difficult by the requirement for theplacement of modules in a particular order. Moreover, the requirement ofmultilevel signals complicates the circuitry and decreases the noiserejection characteristics. In addition, the requirements of capacitivetiming circuits in the receiving modules creates reliability problemsand drastically increases the overall expense of such circuits.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention therefore has as itsprincipal object the provision of an improved electrical control systemfor vehicles which overcomes the defects of prior electrical harnessesand which is characterized by better assembly procedure, high systemreliability, simplified trouble diagnosis and simplified replacementprocedures.

In a preferred embodiment, the invention takes the form of a harnesswhich advantageously may be positioned around the vehicle and to whichlogic and control modules may be connected for controlling componentsand load devices hat affect every function of the vehicle, such aslighting, comfort, transmission, ignition, power assist, air-fuel, andthe like. The harness comprises electrical transmission paths fortransmitting control signals, timing signals, and electrical powerbetween.

the electrical power source, the logic and control modules, and the loaddevices to effect the desired automotive functions.

The harness can be formed of a plurality of electrical wires, the basicrequirement being that the harness must be capable of providingelectrical transmission paths within the vehicle. In a preferredexemplary embodiment, as disclosed in greater detail herein, athree-path harness having three electrical wires is utilized. Two of thewires carry electrical timing and control signal information, and thethird wire carries electrical power. All timed sequential codedinformation is transmitted over two of the wires to various sender andreceiver modules connected to the harness. When the correct code isrecognized by the. receiver module or modules to be selected, the loaddevices associated with the selected modules are activated to performthe desired function. Each receiver module has an integrated circuitwith an associated electric power amplifier or an electrical relay or acombination of the two. The integrated circuit selected by the codedsignal permits the electric power from the harness to'be applied to theload device. The electric power can be utilized to provide electricenergy to various electrical loads, such as electric motors or lights,and to actuate fluid loads. such as hydraulic power servos in thetransmission and mode selection doors in the comfort system. A controland distribution system made in accordance with the present inventionoffers a number of advantages. Firstly, both the sending and receivingmodules can be placed anywhere along the harness and in any order. Thisfeature greatly simplifies the assembly of the vehicular wiring systemand enables two receiver modules to operate simultaneously (e.g., themodules which operate the parking lights or head lights). Moreover, byusing the unique resetting circuitry described herein, no timing orcapacitive circuit elements are required in the receiver modules. Thisfeature enables reliable and inexpensive integrated circuits to be usedthroughout. In addition to the foregoing advantages, the circuitsdescribed herein will operate on only two signal levels, even for theresetting operation, thus eliminating the need for expensive diodes andincreasing the noise rejection characteristics of the overall system.

The various objects, advantages and features of the invention are moreclearly set forth in the detailed description of the preferredembodiment which follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In a detailed description whichfollows, reference will be made to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the invention as embodied in an automotivevehicle;

FIG. 2 is a schematic, circuit diagram showing a preferred embodiment ofa harness connected to the various power, control and receiver modulesin accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic circuit diagram of a typical sender module;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a typical receiver module,

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a typical electrical interface and loadcircuit; and

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a typical reset signal generator inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings,and more particularly to FIG. 1, there is illustrated an automotivevehicle embodying an exemplary form of the inventive electric controlsystem.

The vehicle 10 has a harness 11 positioned about its periphery orcircumference such that various power, control and receiver modules maybe connected thereto at any desired location on the automobile. Thus, apower module 12 incorporating a source of electrical power can belocated beneath the hood of the vehicle for connection to harness 11.Advantageously, in one embodiment of the invention, the electrical powersource may comprise a l2-volt battery.

It further will be appreciated as the description of the inventionproceeds that it is not intended to limit the use of the system to anyparticular number of electrical devices and that the illustrative loaddevices shown in FIG. I and described herein are intended to be merelyexemplary of the great utility and flexibility of the invention. Thus,other modules which may be connected to the harness 11, as illustratedin FIG. 1, include two headlight modules 13 and 17, two parking andtum-signal light modules 14 and 16, and a horn module 15, all located intheir normal positions at the front of the vehicle. The harness also isshown as connected to a front side light module 18 at one fender, awindow module 19 and a door lock module 20 at a side door location, anda rear side light module 21 and a fuel sensor module 29 at a rear fenderlocation. At the rear of the automobile are brake light and turn signalmodules 22 and 26, rear taillight modules 24 and 25, and a trunk lockmodule 24. In addition, for purposes of illustration, FIG. 1 shows awindshield wiper module 27 and a comfort module 28 connected to theharness 11 at a position forward of the dashboard, and a display module30, together with a control or sender module 31, connected to harness 11at the dashboard location. Manifestly, as the explanation of theinvention proceeds, it will become clear that any desired number ofelectrically operated load devices may be controlled from the commonharness 11 in accordance with the principles and teaching of theinvention.

FIG. 2 illustrates the manner in which the modules may be connected to acommon harness 11. In this example, harness 11 is formed of anelectrical power transmission supply path or line 32, an informationsignal transmission path or line 34, and a timing signal transmissionpath or line 35.

A source of electrical power 36, such as a l2-volt battery or the like,is connected between ground (the chassis of the car is the ground of thesystem) and electrical supply line 32. Thus, the latter carries theelectrical power to all other modules which may be connected to line 32around the harness path.

A clock or timing module 42 is connected between the electrical supplyline 32 and ground, and its output is supplied to the clock line 35 bymeans of a connector 43. The purpose of the clock module 42 is to supplytwo level timing pulses to all of the modules connected to the harness11 so that their operations will all be synchronized from a common clocksource. Advantageously, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, theclock module 42 comprises an oscillator or pulse generator of anysuitable construction which is capable of providing time-spaced outputpulses at a frequency of 100,000 cycles per second. The time-spacedpulses define counting states which occur in cycles due to the operationof a reset signal generator described hereafter.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a reset signal generator 38 whichsupplies a coded signal through a connection line 41 to signal line 34for the purpose of resetting all sender and receiver modules. In thisillustrative embodiment, the reset signal generator consists of afour-bit binary counter, formed of trigger flip-flop stages 101, 102 103and 104, an AND-gate 105, and a line amplifier 106. The free-running(i.e., not reset) binary counter comprising flip-flops 101, 102, 103 and104 is triggered by clock signals on line 35 through line 40. AND- gate105 is connected to the one state outputs of all flip-flops in thecounter except the lowest order flip-flop 101. AND-gate 105 is enabledfor two consecutive clock states, which in this case are time counts 14and of each 16 step counting cycle.

Amplifier 106 transmits a signal onto signal line 34 through line 41during these two consecutive clock states. Thistwoconsecutive-clock-state signal forms the coded reset signal to bereceived by all sending and receiving units of the system. It should benoted that there must never be another similar signal for twoconsecutive clock states transmitted on signal line 34 during a countercycle (in this illustrative case 16 clock states) since another suchsignal would look like a reset code to all the senders and receiverscausing all to become reset without completing a whole counter cycle. Byusing two successive pulses to reset the receiver modules, no timingneeds to be done in these modules and they can be made without usingcapacitors. Moreover, there is no need to use a third voltage level toreset the receiver modules.

Another module illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings, and described ingreater detail below, is the sender module 44.

The latter is connected to a suitable controller 45 which may take theform of a sensor, a computer, an operator, or any combination of thesame. The purpose of the sender 44 is to transmit coded functionselection signals throughout the harness 11, by means of the signal line34, so that a selected module or modules will be activated to operateassociated load devices for the performance of a desired function.Sender module 44 receives its operating power from the electrical supplyline 32 and is synchronized with the remaining circuits by itsconnection to the clock line 35 and signal line 34.

As stated above, any number of receiver modules may be connected toharness 11, such that they may respond to their uniquely coded signalsfor the performance of anelectrically operated function. The next moduleshown in FIG. 2 is representative of the receiver modules used forproviding electrically actuated functions. Such a receiver module 46 isconnected to electric supply line 32 to receive electrical operatingpower, to signal line 34 to receive coded information and reset signalsand to clock line 35 to receive timing signals.

The output of receiver module 46 is connected over a conductor 47 to anelectrical load device 48. The latter is connected between electricalsupply line 32 in harness 11 and ground. If, for example, the signalstransmitted over signal line 34 of harness 11 contain the code for whichreceiver module 46 has been set, then the receiver module supplies anoutput signal over conductor 47 to turn on electrical load device 48.Thus, if electrical load device 48 were the automobile horn, forexample, the horn would be actuated whenever the properly coded signalscorresponding to the receiver module 46 setting were transmitted downsignal line 34.

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a typical sender circuit whichcan be attached to harness 1 l to provide coded signal information sothat desired receiver modules can be selected and operated. As shown inFIG. 3, the sender circuit comprises a binary counter formed of theflip-flop stages 54, 55, 56 and 57, a reset circuit comprisingflip-flops 107, 108, AND-gate 109, and an amplifier 62. Those skilled inthe art are thoroughly familiar with the various forms which such binarycounters can take in actual practice and, therefore, the binary counterstages are shown in block form only. Each flipflop stage of the binarycounter is capable of being switched to either one of two states, suchstates representing the digits 0 and 1, respectively. Although thebinary counter illustrated in FIG. 3 comprises four stages capable ofachieving a count up to 16, it will be understood that a larger orsmaller number of flip-flop stages may be utilized, as desired. Thebinary counters described herein preferably comprise integratedcircuits.

Two J-K flip-flops 107 and 108, and AND-gate 109 comprise the resetcircuit which responds to the reset code generated in the reset signalgenerator and transmitted on the signal line 34. The reset code fromsignal line 34, which comprises a pulse signal for two consecutive clockstates, enters the J-input of flip-flop 107, causing flip-flop 107 to beset to its 1 state upon the arrival of the next clock pulse on clockline 35. The output of flip-flop 107 and the signal from signal line 34are fed into AND-GATE 109. The output of AND-gate 109 is connected tothe .Iinput of flip-flop 108. If flip-flop 107 is set to its 1 state andthere is a signal on line 34 (the case during the second consecutivesignal on line 34), flip-flop 108 is set upon the arrival of the nextclock pulse. The output from fliptIop 108 is connected through line 110to all reset inputs (R) of counter flip-flops 54, 55, 56 and 57. Thesecounter flipflops are reset to their zero states whenever flip-flop 108is set to its I state.

It will be noted that the J-K flip-flops 107 and 108 are provided with aK-input as well as the J-input and the clock T-input. As shown in FIG.3, the K-input is permanently connected to a 1 signal source. Thus,whenever a I is applied to a J-input, the flip-flop changes to a I statewhen a clock pulse is applied to the T-input and changes back to 0 stateat the next following clock pulse on the T-input, even if the 1 remainsat the J- input during the second clock pulse. It can be seen that theJ-K flip-flops are always reset by changing to a 0 state on the clockpulse following the clock pulse that set the flip-flop to the I state.The operation of such J-K flip-flops is well-known, as described in thepublication entitled USING MRTL I/C FLIP- FLOPS by MotorolaSemiconductor Products Inc. dated Sept. I966.

After being reset, the counter flip-flop stages begin counting clockpulses received from line 35. The selective outputs of the flip-flopcounter stages are connected to AND-gate 59 along with a line fromswitch 61. If switch 61 is closed (those skilled in the art willappreciate that switch 61 can take the form of an electrical output froma computer or controller) and there is a coincidence of inputs toAND-gate 59 from the counter, there will be an output from the AND-gateon line 111 to amplifier 62. Amplifier 62 transmits the AND-gate outputto the signal line 34. In FlG. 3, the output from AND-gate 59 wouldoccur during counter count 1 (i.e., time T1) during each clock cycle.Thus, the sender circuit generates a series of two-level informationpulses, each of the pulses occurring during a particular counting statein each clock cycle. The clock pulses and information pulses togetherform control signals that allow the receiver modules to be selectivelyoperated. Since the sender circuit receives all clock pulses, it can beplaced anywhere along the harness. Other sending modules may sendoutputs at different counter states. Furthermore, it is fully within theprinciples of the invention that there may be several sending modules atthe same counter state in the event control from more than one locationis desired.

In a manner to be described in greater detail below, the receivermodules which have been coded to respond to a T1 signal are activated toactuate their primary load devices and thereby provide the desiredcircuit function. For example, if the automobile headlights arecontrolled by a receiver module coded to respond to the T1 signal, thenthe closing of switch 61 in the sender circuiteither by the automobiledriver, the computer, or by a sensor element such as a photocell willresult in the headlights being turned on. Although all of the receivermodules are connected to harness 11 and will receive the transmitted Tlsignal, only those modules which have been coded to respond to thesignal will be actuated. The remaining modules will remain inactive.

FIG. 4 illustrates a typical receiver module circuit which is adapted tobe connected harness 11 to receive the coded control signals requiredfor the actuation of the module in order to effect a desired function.As shown in FIG. 4, the receiver circuit comprises a reset circuit, abinary counter formed of a plurality of flip-flop stages, and an ANDgate all arranged in a manner similar to the typical sender module shownin FIG. 3 of the drawings.

In addition, an On-Off circuit composed of two J-K flipflops and an ANDgate is provided to store the fact that the module has received itscoded control signal.

The reset circuit comprising flip-flops 112, 113, and AND- gate 114,functions in an identical manner to the reset circuit of FIG. 3 to resetflip-flops 69, 70, 71 and 72.

The reset circuit is connected to receive reset signals from signal line34 and timing signals from clock line 35 so that the counter will bereset in a cyclic manner in synchronism with all other sender andreceiver counters.

For purposes of illustration, the binary counter flip-flops comprise afour-bit counter with an output lead 74 being connected to the I stateoutput of flip-flop 69 and output leads 75, 76 and 77 being connected tothe 0 state outputs of flip-flops 70, 71 and 72, respectively. Thus, thetypical receiver circuit of FIG. 4 is shown, for purposes ofillustration, as a receiver which is connected to respond only to a T1signal pulse on signal line 34, since there will be an output on all ofthe output leads 74, 75, 76 and 77 only at time T1 in the countingcycle. Each of these output leads is connected to AND-gate 78, and atthe time T1 only, the AND gate is permitted to transmit a signal fromthe signal 34. It now is clear that when a T1 pulse is transmitted onsignal line 34, and only at this time, AND- gate 78 will provide anoutput on line 116 to the .l-inputs of J- K flip-flops 117 and 118.Flip-flops 117 and 118 will be set to their 1 state by the occurrence ofa clock pulse (in this case a T2 clock pulse) if there is a signal online 116 during counting state Tl. An 0N signal will appear on line 47on the output of flip-flop 118 to be used to actuate an associatedcomponent or load device. Flip-flop 118 will not be reset to its 0 stateunless there is an input to its K-input from the output of AND-gate 119.AND-gate 119 receives its inputs from reset signal line and from the 0output of flip-flop 117. Flip-flop 117 receives a signal from reset line115 and its K-input, and is thus reset to zero, if it were in a I state,by the clock pulse that follows the reset signal. AND-gate 119 would notbe enabled during these times since flip-flop 117 is not reset to its 0state until after the reset signal has occurred. (Note that flip-flop113 and flip-flop 117 change from their 1 to 0 states on the same clockpulse. Even though there is 'a' possibility of AND- gate 119 beingenabled for an instant because of differences in switching times inflip-flops 113 and 117, flip-flop 118 cannot possibly switch, since theclock pulse has already entered its trigger input.) If, however, thereis no signal during counting state TI on line 116 and flip-flop 117 doesnot become set to its 1 state i.e.,.it stays in its 0 state), AND-gate119 will be enabled when there is a reset signal on line 115. Flip-flop118 will then be reset to its 0 state on the next clock pulse. This willturn the ON signal on line 47 off. Therefore, the associated load devicewill be turned off at this time.

While the construction and operation of the typical sender and receivercircuits of FIGS. 3 and 4 have been described in connection with a T1signal count, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that suchsender and receiver circuits may be coded for other signal codes suchthat a number of receiver modules can be connected to any point on theharness 11 for operating their associated load devices at desired times.For example, another sender module and a controller 132 may also beconnected to lines 32, 34 and 35 to activate a receiver module 134 thatcontrols an electrical component 136. Since each receiver modulereceives all clock pulses and coded information pulses, all of themodules can be connected to any location on a common harness, but thecoding of the signals permits the selected actuation of only the desiredmodules associated with the functions to be performed.

In accordance with a feature of the present invention, a selection of areceiver module, in the manner described above, permits the actuation ofan electrically powered load device or component. FIG. 5 of the drawingsillustrates an exemplary interface for such a load.

When the receiver module shown in FIG. 5 is turned on by a properlycoded signal from signal line 34, the output signal on conductor 47 isamplified by an amplifier 83. The amplified output signal turns on atransistor 85, or some other switching device, such as a relay.Amplifier 83 and transistor 85 each receive electrical power from theelectrical supply line 32 by means of leads 84, as does receiver 46.When transistor 85 is turned on, a circuit is completed from electricalsupply line 32 to electrical load device 48 to actuate the latter and toenable it to perform its function.

In view of the complete description of the inventive electrical controlsystem given above, in conjunction with the illustrative modules shownin the drawings, those skilled in the art now will appreciate that asingle harness having electrical transmission paths can be used tocontrol essentially every desired function in the automotive system.These principles not only provide a control system having higher systemreliability than presently existing electrical harnesses but, inaddition, greatly simplify trouble diagnosis. A simple connection can bemade at any point in the harness to permit an external tester to checkthe entire system in a relatively short time. Still further, once theproblem is known, a new module can be substituted for the defectivemodule in a matter of minutes, thereby reducing repair time to aminimum.

It will be understood that the various embodiments of the inventionwhich have been described are merely illustrative of an application ofthe principles of the present invention.

Those skilled in the art will readily understand that numerous otherembodiments and modifications may be made without departing from thetrue spirit and scope of the invention. In particular, many of theelectrical components shown in separate modules herein may be assembledin a more central location on the vehicle.

What is claimed is:

1. In a system for controlling substantially all electrical componentsof a self-propelled vehicle comprising a source of electrical power,improved apparatus comprising:

a harness comprising an electrical power transmission path connected tosaid source of electrical power, a timing signal transmission path, andan information signal transmission path;

means for generating a series of time-spaced clock pulses having apredetermined polarity that define counting states which occur incycles;

means for conducting said clock pulses on said timing signaltransmission path;

means for receiving each of said clock pulses and for generating a firstseries of information pulses having said predetermined polarity, each ofsaid information pulses occurring during a predetermined one of saidcounting states in each cycle;

means for transmitting said first series of information pulses over saidinformation signal transmission path;

counting means connected to said information signal transmission pathfor counting infonnation pulses,

means for generating a first output signal in response to the countingof the first series of information pulses;

means for operating a first one of said components in response to saidfirst output signal;

means for receiving each of said clock pulses and for generating asecond series of information pulses having said predetermined polarity,each of said second series of information pulses occurring duringanother predetermined one of said counting states in each cycle;

means for transmitting said second series of information pulses oversaid infonnation signal transmission path;

means for generating a second output signal in response to the countingof the second series of information pulses;

means for operating a second one of said components in response to saidsecond output signal;

means for generating and transmitting over said information signaltransmission path reset pulses having said predetermined polarity whichare coincident with two consecutive clock pulses; and

means for detecting said reset pulses and for generating a signal whichresets said counting means.

2. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for detectingcomprises:

first flip-flop means for producing one predetermined output state inresponse to a first reset pulse;

gate means for producing an output pulse in response to the onepredetermined output state and a reset pulse; and

second flip-flop means for producing a second predetermined output statein response to said output pulse from the gate means.

3. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 2, and further comprising apparatusfor terminating the generating of the first output signal by the meansfor generating, said apparatus comprising: third flip-flop means forproducing one predetermined output state in response to the secondpredetermined output state; second gate means for producing a secondoutput pulse in response to the one predetermined output state of thesecond flip-flop means and the second predetermined output state; andfourth flip-flop means for terminating the first output signal inresponse to the second output pulse.

1. In a system for controlling substantially all electrical componentsof a self-propelled vehicle comprising a source of electrical power,improved apparatus comprising: a harness comprising an electrical powertransmission path connected to said source of electrical power, a timingsignal transmission path, and an information signal transmission path;means for generating a series of time-spaced clock pulses having apredetermined polarity that define counting states which occur incycles; means for conducting said clock pulses on said timing signaltransmission path; means for receiving each of said clock pulses and forgenerating a first series of information pulses having saidpredetermined polArity, each of said information pulses occurring duringa predetermined one of said counting states in each cycle; means fortransmitting said first series of information pulses over saidinformation signal transmission path; counting means connected to saidinformation signal transmission path for counting information pulses,means for generating a first output signal in response to the countingof the first series of information pulses; means for operating a firstone of said components in response to said first output signal; meansfor receiving each of said clock pulses and for generating a secondseries of information pulses having said predetermined polarity, each ofsaid second series of information pulses occurring during anotherpredetermined one of said counting states in each cycle; means fortransmitting said second series of information pulses over saidinformation signal transmission path; means for generating a secondoutput signal in response to the counting of the second series ofinformation pulses; means for operating a second one of said componentsin response to said second output signal; means for generating andtransmitting over said information signal transmission path reset pulseshaving said predetermined polarity which are coincident with twoconsecutive clock pulses; and means for detecting said reset pulses andfor generating a signal which resets said counting means.
 2. Apparatus,as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for detecting comprises: firstflip-flop means for producing one predetermined output state in responseto a first reset pulse; gate means for producing an output pulse inresponse to the one predetermined output state and a reset pulse; andsecond flip-flop means for producing a second predetermined output statein response to said output pulse from the gate means.
 3. Apparatus, asclaimed in claim 2, and further comprising apparatus for terminating thegenerating of the first output signal by the means for generating, saidapparatus comprising: third flip-flop means for producing onepredetermined output state in response to the second predeterminedoutput state; second gate means for producing a second output pulse inresponse to the one predetermined output state of the second flip-flopmeans and the second predetermined output state; and fourth flip-flopmeans for terminating the first output signal in response to the secondoutput pulse.